1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of wireless mobile phones. More specifically, the present invention relates to complementary features that enhance the usability of wireless mobile phones.
2. Background Information
Advances in integrated circuit and telecommunication technology have led to wide spread adoption of wireless mobile client devices, in particular, wireless mobile telephones. Wireless mobile phones offer the advantage of enabling their users to be communicatively reachable by their business associates, friends and family members, wherever the users may be, as long as they are within the reach of the service networks. Thus, even non-professionals are increasingly dependent on their wireless mobile phones to meet their communication needs.
With increased usage and reliance, often times, wireless mobile phone users would find themselves in the dilemma of having to engage in potentially sensitive conversations in a setting that is less than desirable, privacy-wise. For examples, a user may find himself/herself having to engage in an urgent personal or business conversation at a bus stop while waiting for the next bus, or at an airport terminal while waiting to board his/her flight. Under the prior art, a user may have to elect to continue the private/sensitive conversation in a less than private manner, switch to another form of communication, such as email, or delay the communication. Each of these options has disadvantages. Electing to proceed with the conversation in a less than private manner may unduly expose private/sensitive information to the public. Switching communication form is inconvenient. That is true even if the user is in possession of a wireless mobile phone capable of sending add receiving emails. The reason being, any switching would likely at a minimum, disrupt the continuity of the communication.
Therefore, a more user-friendly approach to accommodating privacy sensitive communication is desired.
Note: The term xe2x80x9cwireless mobile phonexe2x80x9d as used in herein (in the specification and in the claims) refers to the class of telephone devices equipped to enable a user to make and receive calls wirelessly, notwithstanding the user""s movement, as long as the user is within the communication reach of a service or base station. The term xe2x80x9cwireless mobile phonexe2x80x9d is to include the analog subclass as well as the digital subclass (of all signaling protocols).
A wireless mobile phone, is provided with at least two extra buttons (in addition to the standard input keypad) and complementary logic to facilitate entry of alphanumeric data via entry of their Morse code representations, and transmission of the entered alphanumeric data. As a result, a user may more naturally use the provided facilities to engage in non-verbal communication for sensitive subject matters in the middle of a call.
In one embodiment, the complementary logic further facilitates echoing on a local display, alphanumeric data corresponding to the entered Morse code representations. Additionally, each of the Morse code entry buttons includes one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), and the LEDs are lit to visually echo the Morse code representations of any alphanumeric data entered through the standard input keypad.
Further, in one embodiment, the wireless mobile phone includes an adapter interface designed to be able to have a device capable of vibrating removably attached to the wireless mobile phone to facilitate the complementary logic to vibrationally output a text message received, through vibrational manifestation of the text message""s Morse code representations.